Keep Me Safe in Your Arms
by Noelle-Tomlinson21
Summary: He looked at her and she felt the butterflies erupt in her stomach again. When he looked at her like that, she felt beautiful. A One Direction fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer! i do not own One Direction or any of the boys in it!

She stood in the airport, not really sure which way to go. There were people screaming and running and bumping into her. They were swarming like bees in a nest. It was all too close for Nessa. She barely knew why she was in the airport at all.

_*flashback*_

_"What's going on?" Nessa said drowsily as she was roused from her bed. She quickly regretted what she said._

_"Shut up. You're going to live with your brother." Nessa was surprised at this. She never knew she had any siblings. The only family she had ever had was her father and father wasn't the fitting word Nessa would use to describe him. Monster would be better._

_Nessa wanted to ask him what he was talking about and why she was never told she had a brother. Did this mean Nessa had a mom out there or any grandparents? She didn't though. If Nessa had learned anything in the past 17 years, it was to keep quiet, do what her father said, and under no circumstances ask questions or defy him. Nessa had tried that a few times, she still had the scars._

_She was actually glad she didn't have siblings. She was glad they didn't have to go through the same hunger-filled nights or neglect that she did on a regular basis. Nessa had considered turning him in, but he had friends that always reminded her that they would find her wherever she went. His horrible friends treated her like dirt for pleasure, always calling her names and occasionally hitting her. Sometimes Nessa's father would tell them to stop, that he was only allowed to hit her, but others, he would just encourage it._

_Nessa walked quickly and quietly down the long hallway following her father, he carried a duffle bag that held Nessas few belongings. Nessa hid her feelings so well by now, she wasn't sure if she was scared or happy. She had tried for so long to feel nothing, so it would be easier, and once she had finally succeeded, she couldn't turn them on properly again. Nessa didn't really care._

_She climbed in the car as her father threw the duffle bag at her. She barley caught it before it would've hit her face. He roughly put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking lot, to only somewhere Nessa could guess._

_She was surprised when they finally reached a small airport. She was expecting something more after the 3 hour car ride. The car ride was quite nice despite the silence, but Nessa kind of enjoyed it. Nessa had never been alone with her father before when he wasn't degrading her or beating her._

_He pushed Nessa inside the airport doors with her bag, flung her the ticket and left Nessa standing there. She swallowed and recovered quickly. Abandonment wasn't new to her._

_Nessa was able to find her gate easily in the cramped airport and was almost too late to be boarded. She made her way through the people and found her window seat. When the plane flew off, Nessa was already asleep._

_*End Flashback*_

Something flashed in Nessa's eyes and blinded her momentarily. She was still in the crowd of people, she was trying to make her way over to a secluded girft shop but it wasn't really working out. Someone shoved her and she fell to the ground, catching herself on her stinging palms she got into the safety of the store. Ever since Nessa had been left in a locked box for a couple days, she had been extremely claustrophobic.

Nessa was confused. Not only did she not know why she was here specifically, she didn't even know where here was! She contemplated asking the saleslady, but the old women looked grumpy already and with the weird looks and glares she was already giving Nessa, she didn't want to start anything. Nessa fished out her ticket stub from the plane ride. Nessa was in London. Nessa allowed herself to smile for the first time since she was a child. And honestly, Nessa thought it felt wonderful, like flying. She was finally free of her father and his friends and all the beatings and neglect. Then Nessa was also scared, she had barley seen outside her father's house, now she was in London, alone. All Nessa's life had been one thing, she wasn't really sure if the reason she was there was a good thing or a bad thing.

On the back of the ticket were a few words, it read: 'Niall. Sunday. Miranda's café. 12 noon.'


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer! I do not own One Direction!

__*Previously*_

_On the back of the ticket were a few words, it read: 'Niall. Sunday. Miranda's café. 12 noon._

Niall? Nessa thought that was an odd name. A sudden feeling stuck Nessa, today was only Friday, and she still had 2 more nights to last until she could meet her brother. What if Niall was exactly like their father and wanted to beat her for every question she asked or for every giggle that came out of her mouth? If that happened, Nessa decided she would kill herself, if she had no one to share her life with at all, then what was the point in living? But Nessa knew she could never go through with that terrifying thought, she was too much of a coward.

Nessa left the airport and found the coffee shop that her father had spoken of. She digged around in her duffle bag for her stuffed bear and a jacket. She layed the jacked over herself, curled up into a ball, and with her bear safe inside her arms, she let herself cry. Nessa didn't exactly know why she was crying. Maybe it was relief, or because she was scared, or maybe she even missed the warmth of her own bed, no matter how uncomfortable it was. Eventually the world faded to black and Nessa slept soundly through the honking cars and chatty people.

When Nessa awoke it was dark again. She stood up, stretched, stuffed her jacket and bear into her bag and walked into the café. She immediately went to the restroom then sat down at a table. Nessa was surprised when a waitress came up to her and asked her if she wanted anything.

"Do you have anything for free?" Nessa asked while turning beet red. The nice waitress didn't seem to mind as she brought back water for Nessa.

"Wait, "Nessa called out to the lady as she was leaving, "What's the date?"

"It's Sunday."

"Time?" Nessa was surprised the girl was being so nice. Nessa was not used to this kind of hospitality.

"Um, I believe it is 5:17 in the morning." Nessa nodded her thank you and the waitress left Nessa in peace. After much contemplation, Nessa decided it was better inside the café then it was outside. She figured if she kept ordering waters then drinking them slowly, she would get to stay as long as she liked. She only had about 7 hours to go.

Nessa was surprised that she didn't get kicked out until an hour before she was supposed to meet her brother. She thought that with her endless water orders and frequent naps in-between that she would've annoyed the workers a lot quicker. Instead of walking somewhere else, she sat against the brick wall in the front of the store. At least this way she could see if anyone came into the café. That was another problem Tessa hadn't really thought about. How was she supposed to recognize her so-called-brother? She couldn't really go up to every person who walked by and ask them if their name was Niall. Nessa put her head in her arms. Her life was a mess, but it wasn't a big surprise to Nessa.

"What are we doing here again?" Nessa could hear the conversation going on before her. She paid no attention to it; it wasn't anything she hadn't heard before.

"I don't really know either." Nessa found herself falling asleep again. She thought she filled her capacity for sleep, but apparently not.

"Then can we leave? Someone's going to recognize us!" Nessa thought these guys were lunatics and annoying. She was trying to sleep and they were keeping her up with their loud voices.

"No, we cannot leave. Guys, I explained this before, my dad sent me this note saying I have to pick up my sister here." Nessa immediately raised her head. She could see the boys now and the one speaking was the only blonde out of the 5 boys. That one was her brother.

"You have a sister? Why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't know I had a sister either!" He threw up his hands in frustration and made eye contact with Nessa. To say it was awkward would be putting it lightly. She stood up and he looked away, ashamed for looking. Nessa's breathing came more rapidly and she could feel a pit in the center of her stomach. She swallowed hard and walked up to the group.

They all looked at her and she froze. She wanted to run so badly, to get out of there. She wanted to block everyone out like she always did. It was so much easier when you had been doing it all your life. Nessa opened her mouth but nothing came out. She swallowed hard and started again.

"Are you Niall?" she asked him. Nessa ran her hand through her blonde locks and crossed her arms.

He nodded, "Your Nessa?" up close, Nessa could distinctively hear his Irish accent now. Nessa flinched at the prominent accent. Her father had a very clear Irish accent also. They all looked at her weirdly, she composed herself enough to say a quiet, "Yes." She could hear her own very light and soft Irish accent and hated it; she wished it would go away. She had gotten it from being around her father all the time.

They exchanged glanced with each other, obviously recognizing the barley-there accent. The tallest one stepped forward and with a British accent said, "You look hungry, do you want to get something to eat?"

Nessa almost broke down in tears. No one had ever asked her anything with such kindness before. But she didn't know if she could eat anything while the pit in her stomach was still there.

"No thank you. I'm fine." There came the awkward silence again. The tall handsome one nodded and tried again.

"Ok, but you should at least come with us to get warmed up. Where else are you going to go?" he was right, Tessa didn't have anywhere else to go. And after she had spent the night in the cold and for the past hour had been standing there in the wind, she was freezing. She nodded.


End file.
